LYNNWOOD – Shirley Hall remembers how her son Jim used to love reading books about insects at the Everett Public Library even before he entered kindergarten.
“From the time he could crawl, he was interested in bugs,” she said.
That interest eventually led to a 35-year career at Edmonds Community College as a biology instructor and a reader for the blind, and to the adoration of many of his students.
James Raymond Hall died July 13 at the age of 63.
Pat Watson, who took two of Hall’s biology classes in 1980 and was his partner for a decade, until the mid-1990s, said Hall’s classes were never boring. One year, he won the Teacher of the Year award.
“When I was taking biology, I hated it,” she said. “But he loved biology and anything that had to do with nature and wanted everyone to enjoy it as much as he did. You could hear the excitement in his voice.”
After retiring as a biology instructor about four years ago, he started reading textbooks for blind students, said Watson, who is blind and works with blind and visually impaired students at the college.
Hall was one of the first instructors hired at Edmonds 35 years ago and worked there when it was still portable classrooms, Shirley Hall said. He helped form the biology department.
Daughter Catherine Stimson said her father was a voracious reader – and not just about biology.
“If some topic grabbed him, he’d read about it, and not just one book,” she said. “He’d study it in-depth and learn everything he could about it. I’ve never known anyone to know as much as he knew.”
Niece Sharon Hall remembered him as a friend and confidant.
“I could call him with my problems and he’d make everything better,” she said. “He always had a twinkle in his eye and some anecdote for you.”
Hall was born April 20, 1941. He graduated from Everett High School and received a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Washington and a master’s in biology from Oregon State University.
A celebration of Hall’s life will be 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 21, at Purdy &Walters at Floral Hills, 409 Filbert Road, Lynnwood. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Hall’s name can be made to The Nature Conservancy at 800-628-6860.
Reporter David Olson: 425-339-3452 or dolson@heraldnet.com.
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